PDF version of this parish newsletter *PDF here*:
You can also access an online -web- copy of the newsletter *Webcopy here*
“Immediately, the Spirit sent him out into the wilderness.”
(Mark 1:12).
FIRST LIGHT! - WE ARE BACK
The Sacred Heart Church Tower and the beautiful blue Cross of Christ have been cleaned, repainted, upgraded and freshened. This familiar and reassuring sight of the Church’s Blue Cross shining in the night sky around Clear Island Waters is wonderful. God bless.
Pastor’s Post:
Stations of the Cross each Friday of Lent at 6 pm at Sacred Heart Church,
50 Fairway Drive, Clear Island Waters. From Friday 16th February 2024 to Friday 22nd March.
Our Lenten Journey has begun. Lent is called a ‘gracious gift’ and a ‘sacred time’ because it is a helpful and quietly joyous season when we ask God to pour out his grace upon us and transform us more and more into the people God has called us to be. We use this time of prayer, penance and practical acts of charity to ask God to foster in us all the virtues and values that resonate with the gospel values of God’s Kingdom. In Lent, we don’t ‘give up things’ to prove our willpower and strength. Nor do we ‘go without things’ to resist the bad values and habits we may have formed as if we were building a dam wall to prevent things from flooding us. The trouble with the images of “willpower” and “trying harder to resist” our faults and sins is that it puts too much emphasis on us and not enough on God. ALTHOUGH, THE ASH WEDNESDAY PRAYERS DO STILL SPEAK OF PUTTING ON SPIRITUAL ARMOURY TO RESIST ALL THAT IS BAD, AND FOSTER SELF-RESTRAINT; This will only truly succeed when God’s grace fills us with the positive virtues.
Also, people know all too well that willpower alone can simply mean resisting the inevitable consequences of holding back a mighty river; when the cracks appear, the force building against our efforts will knock us over again. So, rather than defending the fortress, Lent is about allowing God to rearrange the furniture of our interior room – our heart. Then, with God’s grace, our sinful values and priorities have no room, for they have been crowded out of existence by the virtues and values with which God has replaced them. So, Lent is an opportunity to clear the decks and make more space for God’s grace to work in us. To enter an “interior wilderness time” for the next forty days so God’s Spirit can transform and mould us.
The work of grace is God’s work, along with our cooperation and openness to what God is trying to do in and through us.
Today’s readings are very beautiful for our start to Lent. God promises us his faithfulness and forgiveness, as evidenced by the rainbow sign for Noah and his family.
St Peter then explains in the second reading that Baptism is not a mere “washing away of physical dirt” but an effective sacramental sign of the interior washing God’s grace gives us as we become immersed in God and God’s values.
The Gospel sets the scene of Lent as connecting us to Jesus’ wandering in the wilderness of the Jordan desert for forty days as he spent time fasting and praying in necessary preparation for his ministry. May this time be a truly beautiful time of grace.
Fr Paul.
Congratulations to Loreto Sister Elisabeth Keane.
February 11 marked 66 years of religious service for Sister Lis. Last Saturday evening at the Sacred Heart Vigil Mass, Fr Anthony invited Sr Lis forward to receive a blessing. We thank Sr Lis for her vocation, and we join Fr Anthony in praying for God’s blessing upon Sr Lis and on the many works that she continues in God’s name.
A BLESSED FIFTIETH ANNIVERSARY TO TONY AND SANDY MENEZES. May the Lord grant you health and joy. God bless always.
To tune in to The Weekend Mass (the sound podcast), please regularly visit the link below to listen to the Mass (including the homily) from Surfers Paradise Catholic Parish. Please see this link: Liturgy for you at Home (by SPCP) - (It is updated at intervals just before the following Sunday or Feastday - https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks
Also found at - https://tinyurl.com/FHLpwk.
RITE OF CHRISTIAN INITIATION OF ADULTS
We welcome those Catechumens and Candidates who have commenced a journey of enquiry and faith towards Easter in 2024.
Catechumens – Kelly Friend, Cory Schumacher, Jacinta Andrews and her daughter Evie, Satoshi Tetsuo are seeking Baptism.
Candidates – Wendy Tetsuo is seeking Full Communion with the Catholic Church through Confirmation and First Holy Communion and
- Axel Friend and Oliver Friend, Diana Vargas and Julian Rivers will be Confirmed and receive First Holy Communion.
We invite all Parishioners to pray for our Catechumens and Candidates during this journey to Easter as they come to know Jesus more deeply in their lives and to join us each week in celebrating the Mass.
We ask for many blessings on all who journey in faith and offer our support and prayers for you and your families during this time.
PILGRIMAGE WITH FR DAN RYAN
**Bookings for Fr Dan’s trip to France are closing** at the end of February.
For more information, please contact Harvest Journeys at harvestjourneys.com or phone 1800 819 156
-FRANCE, PARIS AND LOURDES 2024
(With Fr Dan Ryan, as he celebrates 50 years of priesthood).
Would you like to travel to France from mid-May to mid-June this year with me, Fr Dan Ryan, on a French Saints Pilgrimage, with a possible extension to Rome? It sounds like something beautiful and spiritual.
I have organised a pilgrimage with Harvest Journeys to travel through France and visit the Places of Saints.
The trip will include Paris (2nights), Rouen, Lisieux(2), Mont-Saint-Michel (2), Chartes, Nevers (1), Taize, Paray le Monial (2), Ars, La Salette (1), Avignon, Lourdes (3), Montserrat(1), and Barcelona (1), Optional Rome Extension (3).
If you want more information, contact Harvest Journeys on 1800 819 156 or https://bookings.harvestjourneys.com/pv2445. If you contact Harvest Journeys, mention Fr Dan Ryan’s name; the pilgrimage is the “French Saints Pilgrimage.” A copy of the brochure is available here: https://drive.google.com/file/d/1EuOjctr5PMLmUrxxhut9-IoMAI3OMQXQ/view?usp=sharing
To begin or to continue the journey of faith with your child, please use the information provided in the table below.
MASS TIMES: SURFERS PARADISE MASS TIMES
Genesis 9:8–15 I 1 Peter 3:18–22 I Mark 1:12–15
Written by Michael McGirr
Mark’s Gospel is bold and challenging. It doesn’t beat around the bush. Throughout this year, there will be many Sundays when we really need to tune in because Mark’s Gospel doesn’t wait for the reader to be ready. It is right in your face to use a modern expression. Sometimes, Mark reminds us of the wise old person who doesn’t use many words, but every one of those words counts. There can’t be many books with so few pages that have had such a mighty impact on the world.
Today, a few lines tell us that Jesus went into the desert for 40 days and ‘was tempted by Satan.’ He was ‘with the wild beasts’, meaning he was vulnerable as he was immersed in the natural world. This was surely an experience of struggle and growth. Then suddenly Jesus discovers that John the Baptist has been arrested. In a few lines, Mark creates the impression of a challenging time.
How did Jesus respond? He seems to have been enlivened, to have decided to create change. He is full of energy and purpose. ‘The time has come,’ he says. In his vulnerability, he has discovered that ‘the kingdom of God is close at hand.’
Through Project Compassion, Caritas Australia will ask us to consider several stories of vulnerability and hope in action this year. Over the coming weeks, we will meet several extraordinary women: Ronita from the Philippines, Leaia from Samoa and Memory from Malawi. They remind us that women are the heart of the community and the drivers of change in many situations worldwide. In each case, a partnership involving Caritas Australia and local agencies has led to new opportunities for individuals, families, and communities. The kingdom of God is, indeed, closer than we think. Together with Ronita, Leaia and Memory, our decisions help to bring it to reality around the globe.
Perhaps we might spend time with the words of today’s Psalm: ‘God guides me in the right path; God teaches the Lord’s way to the poor.’
“TAP `N” GO CASHLESS DONATIONS -
AVAILABLE AT THE ENTRANCES OF THREE CHURCHES - tap once to donate $10, tap again (when it has re-set) for another $10, and so on.
FOR THOSE WHO ARE SICK: (Alphabetical)
Jack Barretto, Nellie Bellinger, Kevin Brennan, Tim Brown, Margaret Buckingham, Diana Castro, Cecily Cellinan, King Charles III, Doug Chester, Jo Clark, Leslie Clarke, Tina Conidi, Margaret & George Cook, Alfonso Covino, Margaret Cusack, Geraldine Daniels, Nia Falekakala, John Fisher, Rosie May Fisher, Sally Gage, Lorraine Gallagher, Fred Grioli, Jacob Haddad, Jenny Haines, Dion Herft, Lena Hiscock, Louise Holmes, Kim Ingram, Anna Janiek, Pat Jones, Leona Kelly, Marianne Kennedy, Kath Kiely, Betu Kim, Jan Kristenson, Krystal, Bob Lahey, Diane & Steve Land, Sue Langham, Patrick Joven de Leon, Nathan Lepp, Joseph Ah Lo, Sarina Losurdo, John Nathaniel Maher, Maria Manuela, Andrew McPherson, Phil McWilliam, Fabiola Menzs, Joanne Mooney, Maryann Moore, Hugh Morand, Amy Elizabeth Morgan, Michael & Lesley Murtagh, Joanna Muthu, Lynn Nunan, Stephen O’Brien, Peter O’Brien, John & Pat O’Hanlon, Natalie O’Reilly, Letty O’Sullivan, Joanne Parkes, Kay Pitman, Rachel Raines, Gus Reeves, Patricia Roberts, Rogelio Rodriguez, Bob Rogers, Felipe S Cataquiz (Senior), Thor Skjaerbaek, Kathy Stevens, Brenda Stewart, Jim Stewart, Rose Stewart, Betty Taylor, Teresa Teo (Hhih Ting), John Thomas, Baby Samuel Timothy, Leonardo Torcaso, Denise Tracey, Rick Murphy (USA), Karen Vestergard, Billy Webb, Lois Wood.
RECENTLY DECEASED: (Chronological - Most recent first):
Beatriz Dos Santos, June Mitchell, Kevin Bathis, Robert Reed, George Beljak, Pavo Dronjic, Dudley Plunkett, Laurel Goddard, Chris Girvan, Franco Innocenti, Mirko Papak, Sybil Vos, Allan Endicott, John Grimley, Marcella Wockner, Beryl Dorfield.
ANNIVERSARY OF DEATH: (Alphabetical)
Jeanette (Jenny) Avery, Jordan Baker, Andre Bellony, Neil Bloxsidge, Veronica Bond, Carmel Elizabeth Bright, Fr James Cahill, Bobby Joseph Casperz, Theodore Cocks, Marjorie Adeline Doyle, Maria Eidejus, Valerie Mary Elshaw, Thomas James Michael (Mike) Farrell, Raymond Gardiner, Jabour Haddad, Fr Thomas Higgins, Bill Hignett, Barclay Hodge, Joan Frances Hurley, Fr Thomas Keating, Mary Ng Siew Kuen, Dorothy de Launey, Gregory London, Percy and Clair Monteiro, Norm Mullins, Giuseppe Nardi, Patricia Maxine O’Donoghue, Milan Piglich, Brian Peter Pinard, Michael Patrick Robertson, Fr Vincent Rowan, Fr Gary Russell, Mary Schreiber, George Ferguson Shaw, Bernie Tathem, Allan Thomas Vaughan, Hans Wagner, Joy Whitbread, Jerzy Wieczorek, Stanislaw Zbigniew Zielinski.
And Also: (Alphabetical):
Marija Ac, Patricia Anderson, Valma Brew, Helen Bruce, Sue Chard, Sue Crossdale, Leila Floyd, Mary Agnes Joan Geard, Barry Thomas Haug, Len Heffernan, James Douglas Hendrie, Fr John Hennessy, Fr Reginald Keating, Lara Michelle Kennedy, Fr Bryan Lee, Terry Maher, Angelina Mandarino, George McLeod, Joyce Lilian Mitchell, Myra Edna Moffatt, Alan Morgan, Colman O'Byrne, Mollie O'Byrne, Jim O’Hagan, Fr Gervase Pender, Peg Perkins, Rose Refalo, Charles Robinson, James Ryan, Antonija Saceric, Marie Patricia Sullivan, Norman James Thomson, Nikola Trajkovski.
HOSPITAL CALLS - AROUND THE DEANERY -
HELP THE PRIESTS OF THE DEANERY RESPOND TO URGENT CALLS EFFECTIVELY BY CALLING THE FOLLOWING PARISHES' FIRST RESPONDERS TO NEEDS WITHIN THE HOSPITALS LISTED.
To efficiently and speedily deal with the pastoral needs around the Catholic parishes of the Gold Coast, the parishes within this Deanery have the practice of having the first call for emergencies go to the priests of the parish where the hospital is located. Here is a helpful guide to the hospitals and their attendant priests. A nursing home call also follows this procedure, where the first priest to call is a priest from the parish within which the Nursing Home is located. Please help us service the region effectively and help prevent delays in response by calling the nearest parish.
Robina Hospital - Burleigh Heads Parish. 5576 6466
Pindara Hospital - Surfers Paradise Parish. 56717388
John Flynn Hospital - Coolangatta-Tugun Parish. 5598 2165
University & Gold Coast Private Hosp.- Southport Parish. 5510 2222
MARKETS ON FAIRWAY
What is the purpose of Market On Fairway.? A place where creativity and concern for personal income open doors to a world of dreams.
I invite you to participate without the commitment of a contract or exuberant exposure, your work has a lot of value as each discovers their talent. All applications will be emailed, I hope to hear from you. From Grace R.
RELIGIOUS GOODS SHOPS - SACRED HEART AND ST VINCENT’S CHURCHES.
Bibles, Crucifixes, Statues, Holy Cards, Window Prayer Cards, Sacramental items and much more available in your local Piety Shops, have a look today.
SACRED HEART ROSARY PRAYER GROUP
Please join us to pray the Divine Mercy and Rosary each day at the Sacred Heart Church, prior to the 9 am Mass, at 8:15 am, Monday to Friday, including First Saturdays.
Stations of the Cross each Friday of Lent at 6 pm at Sacred Heart Church,
50 Fairway Drive, Clear Island Waters. From 16th February 2024.
INFORMATION MORNING: PASTORAL CARE TO THE SICK IN HOSPITALS (VOLUNTEER ROLE).
In conjunction with the Institute of Faith Education, Centacare will conduct a registered training course in spiritual and pastoral care for the sick in 2024. Date of the information session:
Wednesday 6 March, 10 am – 1 pm, Level 1, Cathedral House 229 Elizabeth St, Bne City. Please note: If there is sufficient interest from Gold Coast parishes, an information session will be arranged in your area. For further information or to attend the information morning, please email judy.norris@bne.centacare.net.au or phone 3324 3193.
ART AND CRAFT GROUP -
The Group meets in the Parish Hospitality Centre on Wednesdays from 9 to 12. Activities include
art (watercolour, oils, acrylics, pen and ink drawing, etc.)
various kinds of Craftwork (Knitting, Embroidery, Crocheting, Card making, Sewing, etc.)
making Rosary Beads (later sent to the missions)
and any other activities that individuals may have an interest in or you can bring in your ideas
A very relaxing and social environment - meet new friends! You are most welcome to join.
For further information, phone John 0412 759 205 or the Parish Office.
THE SACRED HEART BRIDGE CLUB-
Meets at the Sacred Heart - Parish Hospitality Centre, Fairway Drive, Clear Island Waters.
Playing Bridge keeps your brain active and increases your social network! So why not give us a try? Learn to play Bridge at “Our Friendly Club” - Free Lesson. “Introduction to Bridge” - It is Easy to learn the format. No previous card-playing experience is necessary. All are welcome. For more information and to enrol, please phone Cheryl at 5538 8821 or Mob at 0417 772 701.
YOGA AT THE PARISH HOSPITALITY CENTRE -
Join us for our social class in the Parish Hospitality Centre next to the Parish Office. Classes run every Tuesday at 10:45 a.m. Learn to relax yet gain greater flexibility, inner strength, body awareness and concentration while increasing your breath support and general well-being. Ruth is an IYTA-accredited instructor with wide experience and runs a caring, carefully monitored one-hour session costing $10 (new attendees, please arrive by 10:30 a.m. to prepare adequately for class). For more information, call Ruth on 0421338110.
OUR LADY’S STATUE -
Praying the Rosary - Our Lady’s Statue in the Parish -
Details of the Statue of Our Lady are going around the Parish.
If you want her in your home and say the Rosary,
Please contact Maxine or Pat on 0412 519 404.
Our Lady’s Statue details for the next several weeks are
19/02/2024 Maree Anderson Broadbeach
26/02/2024 Maree Anderson Broadbeach
04/03/2024 Eilleen & Julio Camera Nerang
11/03/2024 Eilleen & Julio Camera Nerang
18/03/2024 Maria Filo Paradise Waters
25/03/2024 Maria Filo Paradise Waters
Please phone Maxine Sela on 0421 051 193 if you want the Statue.
EXERCISE CLASS - LOW IMPACT - FOR HEART HEALTH -
Join Rochelle for a fun, functional exercise class at Casey Hall. Low-impact cardiovascular exercises for heart health, improve strength and balance- an all-around fitness class for over 65’s. Stretch and strengthen the whole body, make new friends and feel great. Tuesday mornings @9.30 Beginners welcome. Contact Rochelle for further information on 0438 333 308.
BIBLE STUDY/PRAYER GROUP - ST VINCENT’S CHURCH, SURFERS PARADISE.
The Bible Study Prayer Group Thursday from 5-6 pm at St Vincent’s Church, 40 Hamilton Ave Surfers Paradise. Come along and read/study Break Open the Word once a week on a Thursday evening from 5 to 6 pm—For further enquiries, Ashley at 0409840693.
MEDITATION PRAYER GROUP
In the Morris prayer room, Tuesdays from 10 a.m. to 12 noon. The Meditation Group would very much like to welcome new members. Please phone Pam Egtberts at 0493742670.
LENTEN PROGRAM starts from the 13th of February after meditation - from 10.45 am to 11.45 am with the Living In Harmony Program from Garratt Publishing as the resource material.
Everyone is welcome to attend both or just the Lenten program.
PRAYER GROUP - SPANISH SPEAKER
Jesus de la Misericordia. Invites you to participate every 2nd Saturday of the month from 11 am to 2 pm. Place: Hospitality Room. Sacred Heart Church. “We praise, We praise, We grow spiritually from the Word of the Lord.” For more information, please ring Grace: 0410 006 484.
LENT 2024 WITH THE CATHOLIC GUY, BRUCE DOWNES
Lent is a time when we can grow closer to God and prepare our hearts for the true meaning of Easter. Be inspired, be refreshed, and be renewed!
For 40 days, you will receive a short, practical and inspiring video in your inbox every morning to help you make this Lenten journey more powerful and prayerful. This program is FREE, and you can sign up here: https://BruceDownes.org/Lent
Go to BruceDownes.org for more information.
CHILDREN’S LITURGY OF THE WORD - (CLOW) AT SACRED HEART CHURCH
Helpers are needed also to assist with our Children’s Liturgy of the Word
(also known as CLOW) on a Sunday morning during the 9 am Mass at Sacred Heart.
The children leave the congregation at the start of Mass and go to the Atrium to celebrate and reflect on the Sunday Gospel reading in an age-appropriate way. The children are led through prayers, songs, and readings adapted to their understanding level.
Attending Mass together is a part of being a Catholic Family, while Children’s Liturgy of the Word allows children to enter the celebration more fully by catering to their needs.
Interested volunteers are invited to contact the Parish Office.
One of the requirements will be to have or apply for a Blue Card. Staff will be able to help you apply if necessary.
KIDS’ BULLETIN
Have you heard of the Kids’ Bulletin? The Kids’ Bulletin is a fun way for Catholic children to learn about the Faith every week. For a free online printable news bulletin with Sunday readings, go to https://thekidsbulletin.com/
LOOKING FOR ACCOMMODATION
During Gold Coast Marathon week for 7 days -
Bernadette O’Donnell 0427 922 804
https://brisbanecatholic.org.au/careers/
The Archdiocese of Brisbane has standards of conduct for workers to maintain a safe and healthy environment for children. Our commitment to these standards requires conducting working with children checks and background referencing for all persons who will engage in direct and regular involvement with children and young people (0 - 18 years) or vulnerable adults. The organisation is fully committed to child safety and has zero tolerance for abusing children or vulnerable adults.
YEAR OF PRAYER - RESOURCE
Peace Prayer
Lord, make me an instrument of your peace:
where there is hatred, let me sow love;
where there is injury, pardon;
where there is doubt, faith;
where there is despair, hope;
where there is darkness, light;
where there is sadness, joy.
O divine Master, grant that I may not so much seek
to be consoled as to console,
to be understood as to understand,
to be loved as to love.
For it is in giving that we receive,
it is in pardoning that we are pardoned,
and it is in dying that we are born to eternal life.
Amen.
A VOCATION VIEW:
Lent: the springtime of the soul. It is a time to make a new covenant with God and develop new signs of our relationship with our Creator. Go into your desert and discover your calling.
To talk to someone about your vocation, contact Vocation Brisbane: 1300 133 544. vocation@bne.catholic.net.au and www.vocationbrisbane.com
STEWARDSHIP -
“After John had been arrested, Jesus came to Galilee proclaiming the gospel of God….” - Mark 1:14
Have you ever thought about how difficult it must have been for Jesus to go to Galilee, knowing that John had just been arrested for teaching the same message that He was proclaiming. It took great love and trust for Jesus to do what the Father had sent Him here on earth to do. In the same way, living a stewardship lifestyle takes great love and trust from us. We must be willing to surrender completely to God, trusting that He will always give us all that we need to fulfil His plan for us.
The vision of Stewardship speaks in every aspect of life, inviting everyone to be thankful, generous, and accountable for what each has been given.
Take Five For Faith -
Papacy
The office of the bishop of Rome, familiarly known as the pope; the term of a pope’s reign; a succession of popes; the church’s system of government with the pope as first among equals with authority over all other bishops.
Pronunciation: https://tinyurl.com/Take5-papacy
CONTEXT
One of the main challenges of the papacy is to judge all tasks in the light of the gospel to avoid transforming ecclesiastical jurisdiction into political power.
—Father Jean-Marie Tillard, O.P.
We cannot dispute that the papacy itself, purely as a human institution, is unique.
—Paul Johnson in The Papacy
Since God has given us the papacy, let us enjoy it.
—Attributed to Pope Leo X, known for lavish living, patronage of the arts, and abuse of papal power
WHY IT MATTERS
Since the first century, the bishop of the local church in Rome has been understood to possess the "Chair of Peter," which endows great authority and carries the role of special keeper of the church's mission.
The power of the papacy stems from Jesus' choice to set Peter in authority over the rest: "You are Peter and upon this rock, I will build my church." (Matthew 16:18). Papal primacy and the role of the pope as Vicar of Christ and pastor of the whole Church, with “full, supreme and universal power over the Church” was confirmed at numerous ecumenical councils, including Vatican II (Lumen Gentium, 22).
RELATED WORDS
Pope | Pontiff | Vicar of Christ | Curia | Hierarchy
---------------------------------------------
QUESTION OF THE WEEK
---------------------------------------------
What are the qualifications for being pope?
The vast majority of popes were ordained. Priesthood is a plus, topped off with a hearty Roman education at a pontifical institute. Doing time in highly visible chanceries in large cities increases your chances. Attaining the status of bishop and cardinal tremendously increases your odds even though neither position is canonically required.
Medieval and Renaissance popes had the advantage of coming from princely or aristocratic Roman families, but never mind if you don’t have a fine pedigree. Sixtus V was the son of a laundress, and Pius X was the child of a seamstress. A few popes were renowned preachers like the Franciscan Sixtus IV, and others were lawyers, professors, and poets. But just as many had their beginnings as monks, anchorites, and even a hermit (Celestine V, but he abdicated to return to his hermitage after six months).
Though being extraordinarily wicked hasn’t always been a deal-breaker, more than a few popes were martyred or popularly acclaimed as saints. Holiness is a great asset. Wanting to be a pope probably isn’t.
—Alice Camille, from Questions Catholics Ask: http://tinyurl.com/QCA-papal-qualifications
***
REFLECTION OF THE WEEK
CHAIR OF PETER, APOSTLE (FEBRUARY 22)
Power well exercised
The feast of the Chair of Peter honours the unity of the worldwide church and its teaching authority. This authority has given popes the ability to speak out for human rights and against injustice, which they have done with increasing frequency in the past century.
Readings: 1 Peter 5:1-4; Matthew 16:13-19 (535: https://bible.usccb.org/bible/readings/022224.cfm). “Whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven.”
FAITH IN ACTION
Dip into the social teachings from recent popes http://tinyurl.com/social-encyclicals and be amazed by their thinking on labour, preferential option for the poor, human dignity, economic justice, and care of creation.
ww.takefiveforfaith.com/subscribe.
THIS WEEKEND’S GOSPEL -
Image Credit- Shutterstock Licensed. Stock Illustration ID: 2259208961 - Jesus Christ of Nazareth Touching a Leper to Heal Him - Illustration Contributor: Carolangoni
GOSPEL THIS WEEKEND
Image Credit- Shutterstock Licensed. Stock Vector ID: 2288853245 - Christ in the desert sunset golden hour colourful illustration. An illustration of the depiction of the temptation of Satan to Jesus Christ. Vector Contributor: Evoke City
To listen to the Sunday Mass each week (including homily) from Surfers Paradise Catholic Parish, please visit this link: Liturgy for you at Home (by SPCP) - https://soundcloud.com/user-633212303/tracks
Also found at - https://tinyurl.com/FHLpwk
Peter Damian:
In the short treatise Dominus vobiscum (The Book of "The Lord be with You") (PL 145:231-252), he questions whether a hermit praying in solitude should use the plural; Damian concludes that the hermit should use the plural since he is linked to the whole church by faith and fellowship.
In this letter, Peter defends his views, an undertaking that takes him into the discussion of the scope of divine power, the possibility of God's annulling the past, and the problems that arise from using the language of human temporality to describe divine possibilities in an eternal present. Damian had claimed that God could indeed restore lost virginity. The central question of the nature and scope of divine power is related to previous discussions of the question and to the more sophisticated debates of the later Middle Ages. Damian's apparent claims that the law of contradiction does not apply to God and that God is able to annul the past deserve recognition. In these discussions, Damian shows himself the equal of any dialecticians he so severely criticises.
The best penance is to have patience with the sorrows God permits. A very good penance is to dedicate oneself to fulfil the duties of every day with exactitude and to study and work with all our strength.
Do not be depressed. Do not let your weakness make you impatient. Instead, let the serenity of your spirit shine through your face. Let the joy of your mind burst forth.
He pours light into our minds, arouses our desire, and strengthens us... As the soul is the body's life, the Holy Spirit is the life of our souls.
Nobody can fight properly and boldly for the faith if he clings to a fear of being stripped of earthly possessions.
We hold our tongues in check because if they are undisciplined, they empty the soul of the strength of heavenly grace and weaken its healthful vigour.
For the wisdom of the flesh brings death, but that of the spirit brings life and peace since the wisdom of the flesh is the enemy of God; it is not subject to God's law, nor can it be. And since the wisdom of the flesh cannot bear the yoke of God's law, it cannot look upon it, for its eyes are clouded with the smoke of pride.
And what more should I say since sin expels the whole host of the virtues from the chamber of the human heart and introduces every barbarous vice as if the bolts of the doors were pulled out?
Feast of The Chair of St Peter
“He who deserts the Chair of Peter, upon whom the Church was founded, does he trust himself to be IN the Church?” (St Irenaeus)
“You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Matthew 16:16
“And so I say to you, you are Peter, and upon this rock, I will build my church, and the gates of the netherworld shall not prevail against it.” Matthew 16:18
St Polycarp:
Eighty and six years have I served Christ, nor has He harmed me. How, then, could I blaspheme my King who saved Me? I bless Thee for deeming me worthy of this day and this hour that I may be among Thy martyrs and drink the cup of my Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us, therefore, forsake the vanity of the crowd and their false teachings and turn back to the word delivered to us from the beginning.
Beware of greed and remain pure and just. Restrain yourself from every vice. He who cannot restrain himself, how will he be able to teach others restraint?
By grace ye are saved, not of works,' but by the will of God through Jesus Christ . .
If we please Him in this present world, we shall also receive the future world, according to as He has promised to us that He will raise us again from the dead and that if we live worthily of Him, 'we shall also reign together with Him,' provided only we believe . . .
Now may the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and the eternal high priest himself, the Son of God Jesus Christ, build you up in faith and truth and in all gentleness and in all freedom from anger and forbearance and steadfastness and patient endurance and purity.
If you imagine for a moment that I would do that, then I think you pretend you don't know who I am. Hear it plainly. I am a Christian.
If anyone does not refrain from the love of money, he will be defiled by idolatry and so be judged as if he were one of the heathen.
I exhort you, press on in your course, and exhort all men that they may be saved.
Be all of you subject one to another, having your conduct blameless among the Gentiles, that you may both receive praise for your good works, and the Lord may not be blasphemed through you. But woe to him by whom the name of the Lord is blasphemed! Teach, therefore, sobriety to all, and manifest it also in your own conduct
(facing martyrdom). “But why do you delay? Come, do what you will.”
FAITH AND WORSHIP SPOT
“Thou shalt avoid saying aloud God’s Holy and personal Name.”
Twenty-five years ago (Back in 2009), the Vatican clarified a situation in liturgy about the saying out loud, in liturgies or public prayer, God’s proper name, “YHWH,” which is also often written as 'Yahweh.'
Here is a talk I gave on the same topic that adds extra. The talk was trickier than this written version, because I could not speak the name of whom I was referring.
“I would like to share with you part of our faith deposit… the reverence we (his disciples) hold for God's Holy Name. We know we must not use God's name in vain. We must show reverence and respect for God and God's name. There is an ancient tradition, which goes back to the Jewish tradition and which was a very important part of the early church tradition as well, that whenever the Scriptures were recited out loud in a Synagogue or in public prayer, the scroll of the Scriptures would be unrolled, and the lector would use an ornate pointer to trace the words as they recited them, (the psalms being usually sung in plain-chant - that is, the words take priority over the tune).
And here is the beautiful bit, whenever a reader comes across the Proper name for God… the Word that starts with Y…. and is printed (here)…. "**[Yahweh]"** - Whenever they came across this Holy word written in Holy Scriptures, they would never say it audibly (out of great reverence and respect for the Lord's name). They would see the word written but would automatically replace the word with the similar, descriptive word "LORD" whenever they came across the name of God and pronounced only the word “Lord,” not “Yahweh.” This was because God’s name was not to be treated lightly or to be taken for granted but rather to be respected and treated with awe, a sense of reverence and mystery and of course, absolute humility.
This ancient tradition came across into the Christian church from the earliest times. The translation we use for the Bible that is read out in Masses is usually here in Australia known as the “Jerusalem Bible” (also we use the NRSV translation of the bible on Sundays here in this parish), but in the lectionary for the readings of the mass, the official text, you will not see God's proper name printed anywhere there. You will see the word LORD (with all letters capitalised). This is a sign that the name that occurs at this point in the original sacred text is the Proper name of God ("**[Yahweh]"**). God’s name is replaced because of this absolute respect for God's name, which we never use lightly. God is beyond full earthly knowledge or total "knowing," but we still must strive to know and love God with every step of our journey. (It is still always good to acknowledge that God is ultimately beyond total human comprehension, just as God's name defies exact translation – the closest we can get is "I am the one who IS, who was, and who will be"… But even that is a near-approximation to the meaning and a description of the name. Our reverent “non-speaking” of God's name acknowledges all this.
If you were to buy a copy of the Jerusalem Bible for personal use, it DOES put the proper name into the text, but the tradition is that if this version of the text is spoken out loud, God's name is always replaced with LORD. If the text merely used the word Lord itself, instead of God's proper name, then instead of the word LORD in all capitals, it would be spelt "capital-L"- Lord, with all other words in lowercase.
We can all think of a few familiar hymns that use God's proper name in the hymn words. They have been sung for decades, but they are a relatively new usage in the two thousand years of the Church and the two thousand years before that of Jewish faith and practice. The Vatican recently reiterated the ancient practice of not using the name in spoken words or songs. So, those hymns have needed to be changed or retired from use. For example, the hymn " [Yahweh], I know you are near…." is now re-written as: "LORD, I know you are near." And another familiar hymn, “Strong and Constant” has the opening line now sung as .. "You will be, The LORD who walks with me…." or “You will be, God who walks with me.”
This is not only out of respect for the Jewish tradition but also our ancient Christian practice that has been restored.”
Fr Paul
Here is more information on this topic from Liturgy Brisbane:
THE UNUTTERABLE NAME OF GOD. By Elizabeth Harrington.
I have been asked about a statement from Rome about hymns that include the word 'Yahweh'.
This is a reference to a letter sent by the Vatican Congregation for Divine Worship and the Sacraments to all bishops' conferences about "the translation and the pronunciation, in a liturgical setting, of the divine name signified in the sacred Tetragrammaton."
The Tetragrammaton (Greek for "4 letters") is YHWH, the four consonants of the ancient Hebrew name for God. It is also written as JHVH and YHVH because Hebrew and English letters do not match exactly. The exact pronunciation of YHWH is not yet known. Over more recent times, people have added vowels between the four consonants to make it more readable: It occurs in various written and spoken forms, including Yahweh, Jahweh and Jehovah.
About vocalising YHWH the letter says: "As an expression of the infinite greatness and majesty of God, it was held to be unpronounceable and hence was replaced during the reading of sacred Scripture by means of the use of the alternate name: 'Adoni'', which means 'Lord,'".
The letter speaks of an ancient tradition "that the sacred Tetragrammaton was never pronounced in the Christian context nor translated into any of the languages into which the Bible was translated".
YHVH is often called the 'unutterable' name of our 'ineffable' God, the one who is too great to be expressed in words, who is indefinable. The Catechism of the Catholic Church describes God as "the inexpressible, the incomprehensible, the invisible, the ungraspable" and says that "our human words always fall short of the mystery of God". (CCC 42)
When Moses asks what name he should give to the one who speaks to him on Mount Horeb, Moses is not asking what to call God. He is asking, "Who are you; what are you like; what have you done." This is clear from God's response: "I am who I am." God is eternal, the God of our ancestors.
Because a name represents the reputation of the person addressed, it should be treated with the same respect as is given to the person. For this reason, in all its forms, God's name is treated with enormous respect and reverence in Judaism.
The recent directive from Rome is not saying anything new. The Church has always been sensitive to concerns among observant Jews about pronouncing the name of God. While the Jerusalem Bible, on which the current Lectionary is based, uses the term 'Yahweh', it has been replaced by 'Lord' or 'God' in the Lectionary passages.
The practice has crept in, however, of using the God of Israel's proper name in hymns. Examples from the popular repertoire include "You Are Near", "Yahweh (is the God of my salvation)", "Strong and Constant", "Micah's Theme", and "Yahweh, the Faithful One". At the very least, songs like these have now been re-issued in versions that remove the word "Yahweh". Composers have been asked to try to come up with alternate language for their hymns.
Several years ago, the Queensland Knights of the Southern Cross launched a campaign against improper use of the Lord's name. This Vatican directive provides an opportunity to encourage the faithful to show reverence for the name of God in daily life, emphasising the power of language as an act of devotion and worship. [Liturgy Lines © Liturgical Commission. Date - 18/01/2009]
POPE FRANCIS MESSAGE FOR LENT 2024
God has not grown weary of us. Let us welcome Lent as the great season in which He reminds us: “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of slavery” (Ex 20:2).
Lent is a season of conversion, a time of freedom. Jesus Himself, as we recall each year on the first Sunday of Lent, was driven into the desert by the Spirit in order to be tempted in freedom. For forty days, He will stand before us and with us: the incarnate Son. Unlike Pharaoh, God does not want subjects, but sons and daughters. The desert is the place where our freedom can mature in a personal decision not to fall back into slavery. In Lent, we find new criteria of justice and a community with which we can press forward on a road not yet taken.
This, however, entails a struggle, as the book of Exodus and the temptations of Jesus in the desert make clear to us. The voice of God, who says, “You are My Son, the Beloved” (Mk 1:11), and “You shall have no other gods before Me” (Ex 20:3) is opposed by the enemy and his lies. Even more to be feared than Pharaoh are the idols that we set up for ourselves; we can consider them as His voice speaking within us. To be all-powerful, to be looked up to by all, to be domineering over others: every human being is aware of how deeply seductive that lie can be. It is a road well travelled. We can become attached to money, to certain projects, ideas or goals, to our position, to a tradition, even to certain individuals. Instead of making us move forward, they paralyse us. Instead of encounter, they create conflict. Yet there is also a new humanity, a people of the little ones and of the humble who have not yielded to the allure of the lie. Whereas those who serve idols become like them, mute, blind, deaf and immobile (cf. Ps 114:4), the poor of spirit are open and ready: a silent force of good that heals and sustains the world.
Pause in prayer
It is time to act, and in Lent, to act also means to pause. To pause in prayer, in order to receive the Word of God, to pause like the Samaritan in the presence of a wounded brother or sister. Love of God and love of neighbour are one love. Not to have other gods is to pause in the presence of God beside the flesh of our neighbour. For this reason, prayer, almsgiving and fasting are not three unrelated acts, but a single movement of openness and self-emptying, in which we cast out the idols that weigh us down, the attachments that imprison us. Then the atrophied and isolated heart will revive. Slow down, then, and pause! The contemplative dimension of life that Lent helps us to rediscover will release new energies. In the presence of God, we become brothers and sisters, more sensitive to one another: in place of threats and enemies, we discover companions and fellow travellers. This is God’s dream, the Promised Land to which we journey once we have left our slavery behind.
A time of Communitarian decisions
The Church’s synodal form, which in these years we are rediscovering and cultivating, suggests that Lent is also a time of communitarian decisions, of decisions, small and large, that are counter-current. Decisions capable of altering the daily lives of individuals and entire neighbourhoods, such as the ways we acquire goods, care for creation, and strive to include those who go unseen or are looked down upon. I invite every Christian community to do just this: to offer its members moments set aside to rethink their lifestyles, times to examine their presence in society and the contribution they make to its betterment. Woe to us if our Christian penance were to resemble the kind of penance that so dismayed Jesus. To us too, He says: “Whenever you fast, do not look dismal, like the hypocrites, for they disfigure their faces so as to show others that they are fasting” (Mt 6:16). Instead, let others see joyful faces, catch the scent of freedom and experience the love that makes all things new, beginning with the smallest and those nearest to us. This can happen in every one of our Christian communities.
To the extent that this Lent becomes a time of conversion, an anxious humanity will notice a burst of creativity, a flash of new hope. Allow me to repeat what I told the young people whom I met in Lisbon last summer: “Keep seeking and be ready to take risks. At this moment in time, we face enormous risks; we hear the painful plea of so many people. Indeed, we are experiencing a third world war fought piecemeal. Yet let us find the courage to see our world, not as being in its death throes but in a process of giving birth, not at the end but at the beginning of a great new chapter of history. We need courage to think like this” (Address to University Students, August 3, 2023). Such is the courage of conversion, born of coming up from slavery. For faith and charity take hope, this small child, by the hand. They teach her to walk, and at the same time, she leads them forward.
I bless all of you and your Lenten journey.
Pope Francis
POPE FRANCIS: Continuing the summary on Session One of the Synod on Synodality. +
Image Credit- Shutterstock Licensed. Stock Photo ID: 2251038719 - VATICAN CITY, VATICAN - 18 JANUARY 2023: Pope Francis smiles and waves during his weekly general audience in the Paul VI hall. Important information. Editorial Use Only. Photo Contributor- Alessia Pierdomenico
Pope article:
11. Deacons and Priests in a Synodal Church
Convergences
Priests are the principal collaborators of the bishop, forming with him one presbyterate (cf LG 28). Deacons are ordained for the ministry of serving the People of God in the diakonia of the Word, in the liturgy, but above all in the exercise of charity (cf LG 29). The Synodal Assembly wishes, first and foremost, to express to priests and deacons a deep sense of gratitude. Aware that they may experience loneliness and isolation, it encourages Christian communities to support them with prayer, friendship, and collaboration.
Deacons and priests engage in ministry in a wide variety of pastoral settings: in parishes, in evangelisation, among those living in poverty and who are marginalized, in the world of culture and education, as well as in the mission ad gentes, in theological research, at retreat centres and places of spiritual renewal, and many others. In a synodal Church, ordained ministers are called to live their service to the People of God in a disposition of proximity to people, welcoming and listening to all, while cultivating a deep personal spirituality and a life of prayer. Above all, they are required to reconsider the exercise of authority, modelling it upon Jesus, who, "though he was in the form of God, [...] emptied himself, taking the form of a slave" (Phil. 2:6-7). The Assembly acknowledges that through their dedication many priests and deacons make Christ, the Good Shepherd and the Servant, present.
One obstacle to ministry and mission is clericalism. Clericalism stems from a misunderstanding of the divine call, viewing it more as a privilege than a service, and manifesting itself in the exercise of power in a worldly manner that refuses to allow itself to be accountable. This distortion of the priestly vocation needs to be challenged from the earliest stages of formation by ensuring close contact with the People of God and through concrete service-learning experiences among those most in need. The exercise of priestly ministry today cannot be conceived of except in harmony with the bishop and the presbyterate, and in profound communion with other ministries and charisms. Unfortunately, clericalism is a disposition that can manifest itself not only among ministers but also among the laity.
In order to exercise ordained ministry in a context of co-responsibility, it is necessary to be aware of one’s own capacities and limitations. For this reason, it is important to ensure that a realistic approach to human formation is integrated with the cultural and spiritual dimensions of formation, as well as formation for discipleship. In this regard, the contribution of families of origin, and the Christian community, within which a young man’s vocation is fostered, as well as that of other families that accompany his growth, cannot be underestimated.
Matters for Consideration
Within the context of the formation of all the baptised for service in a synodal Church, the formation of deacons and priests requires special attention. The request has been widely expressed at this Assembly that seminaries and other programmes of priestly formation remain connected to the daily life of the community. We need to avoid the risks of formalism and ideology that lead to authoritarian attitudes, and impede genuine vocational growth. Revision to programmes of formation requires extensive discussion and consideration.
Different opinions have been expressed about priestly celibacy. Its value is appreciated by all as richly prophetic and a profound witness to Christ; some ask, however, whether its appropriateness, theologically, for priestly ministry should necessarily translate into a disciplinary obligation in the Latin Church, above all in ecclesial and cultural contexts that make it more difficult. This discussion is not new but requires further consideration.
Proposals
In the Latin Churches the permanent diaconate has been implemented in differing ways in different ecclesial contexts. Some local churches have not introduced it at all; in others, there is concern that deacons are perceived as a kind of substitute for the shortage of priests. Sometimes, their ministry finds expression in the liturgy rather than in service to those living in poverty and who are needy in the community. We therefore recommend an assessment of how the diaconal ministry has been implemented since Vatican II.
From the theological point of view, there is a need to understand the diaconate first and foremost in itself and not only as a stage of access to the presbyterate. Qualifying the primary form of the diaconate as "permanent," to distinguish it from the “transitional” form, is itself an indication of a change of perspective that has not yet been adequately realized.
The uncertainties surrounding the theology of the diaconate are related to the fact that it has only been restored to a distinct and permanent hierarchical ministry in the Latin Church since the Second Vatican Council. Deeper study will shed light on the question of the access of women to the diaconate.
A thorough review of formation for ordained ministry in view of the missionary and synodal dimensions of the Church is called for. This means also reviewing the Ratio fundamentalis that determines how formation is structured. We also recommend at the same time ensuring the adoption of a synodal style when it comes to the ongoing formation of priests and deacons.
Transparency and a culture of accountability are of crucial importance for us to move forward in building a synodal Church. We ask local churches to identify processes and structures that allow for a regular audit of how priests and deacons are carrying out roles of responsibility in the exercise of their ministry. Existing institutions, such as participatory bodies or pastoral visits, can be the starting point for this work, taking care to involve the community. Such forms must be adapted to local contexts and diverse cultures, so as not to be a hindrance or a bureaucratic burden. The discernment of the kind of process required could be considered at the regional or continental level.
On a case-by-case basis, and in accordance with the context, the possibility should be considered of re-inserting priests who have left the ministry in pastoral services that recognise their formation and experience.
Source: https://www.synod.va/en/synodal-process/the-universal-phase/documents.htm
Commitment To Child Safety and Vulnerable-Adult Safety
……………..See overleaf …..
St Kevin’s Catholic School, Community business directory: https://www.sk.qld.edu.au/Pages/Rainbow-Connection.aspx
Acknowledgement of Country - This is Kombumerri Country - The Traditional Custodians of this region.
We respectfully acknowledge the Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as the First People of this country. We pay our respects to the Kombumerri people, the traditional custodians of the land, waterways and seas upon which we live, work and socialise throughout this Catholic Parish of Surfers Paradise. We acknowledge Elders, past and present and emerging, as they hold our Indigenous people's memories, traditions, culture and hopes. We pay tribute to those who have contributed to the community's life in many ways. We affirm our commitment to justice, healing, and reconciliation between Indigenous and non-Indigenous peoples. (See further: The Kombumerri People and https://kombumerritogetherproject.com/digital-resources/yugambeh-language/)
** The significance of the ancient Catholic Blessing Symbol. “20 C+M+B 24”
An ancient medieval practice that developed in the Catholic Church was to bless one’s home with blessed chalk at the epiphany each year. On the door or the lintel will be this symbol:
Meaning that 2000 years ago, after Christ’s birth, Wise Men visited and gave homage to the Lord and were welcomed into the hospitality of the Holy Family’s abode. We dedicate the present year of this century, ‘24, to the protection of the Lord. May the Lord bless this abode.
The letters C+M+B represent the names Caspar, Bathasar and Melchior, the three Wise Men. CMB is also the initials of the latin phrase “Christus Mansionem Benedicat” - “May Christ Bless this dwelling-place.”
No comments:
Post a Comment